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00:00Hello, good evening and welcome to Kentonite live on KMTV. I'm Abbey Hook. Here are your
00:24top stories on Monday the 13th of January. Artificial assistance. Will Kent's pothole
00:30problem be solved by AI? We can only see when it comes out really because it's far-fetched
00:37but you know. Over the limit. Kent police arrest hundreds in drink driving operation.
00:43In a second we'll be doing a breath test procedure to see how much you've had to drink. What's
00:51this? You've been arrested. And taking education to new heights. Medway's very own astronaut
00:58is on a special mission to make space school accessible. When they come up to me afterwards
01:04asking me space questions, saying oh whereabouts can I find out more about space. So really
01:10it's inspiring the next generation, yeah.
01:22First tonight, Kent's record number of potholes could start to disappear with the help of
01:26artificial intelligence. It's part of the government's plan to use AI to boost our public
01:32services. Circus Starmer hopes to use it in cameras around the country to inspect roads
01:37and spot potholes that need repairing. But a mechanic in Medway who fixes multiple cars
01:42a week because of damaged roads is sceptical of the idea. Kristen Hawthorne has more.
01:48Our ambition is not just to be an AI superpower, but also make sure that this benefits working
01:55people. Potholes are the thing that many of us try to avoid while driving. But with so
02:00many spanning across the county, driving around them can often be unavoidable. Especially
02:06if you notice them too late.
02:13This means that it's not only our roads that are damaged, but our cars too.
02:19And you've got another one there? That's called, that's called a pothole.
02:24The owner of AK Motors says that he gets at least two people a week needing car repairs
02:29after hitting potholes. He thinks that the government's plans are a good thing, but is
02:33concerned due to the amount of work that needs to be done, especially in the Medway area.
02:38It has got worse because one, the council hasn't got the money to repair them. And then
02:44there's so many, they say there's only 2,000 potholes in Medway, but I can assure you there's
02:50more than 2,000 potholes. Like you can go down a couple of streets and you get 1,000
02:54potholes, you know, so there's a hell of a lot of potholes around. How does it measure
02:59how deep the pothole is? So that's something that's going to come out and we can only see
03:05when it comes out really because it's far-fetched, but you know, who knows?
03:10Ayo is a resident in Rochester and has a pothole right outside his home. He has paid
03:15out for new tyres multiple times due to damage from potholes in his area. He thinks the AI
03:21may be useful, but is unsure if it will be enough, as he says repairs often don't last
03:26that long.
03:27Well, yes, we have got some damage. I have some damage on previous potholes just going
03:31up to Gillingham. So yeah, potholes are just expected. We try to just avoid them or just
03:38brace for it once we are going to get to impact. I appreciate there is some work being
03:42done, but at the same time we are aware that they don't last in regards to the work being
03:47done to the potholes because they just come back.
03:50With the government proposing plans to implement AI to inspect roads and spot potholes, these
03:55issues may become a problem of the past. But with so many across the county, will AI be
04:00enough to make a real change?
04:02Kristen Hawthorne for CAMTV in Gillingham.
04:09And it's not just potholes that artificial intelligence could be teaching us. Mid Kent
04:14College are running a pilot scheme to integrate AI into lessons and marking.
04:19Jack, thank you very much for joining me today. Now, another conversation surrounding AI is
04:25how it's being used in education. Now, tell us what you're doing at your college.
04:32Good afternoon. So at Mid Kent College, where I work, we are just about to undertake a trial
04:39where we are going to be using AI both with our teachers and our students to see if we
04:44can improve teacher well-being and improve students' engagement, levels of engagement
04:50in the classroom, and their academic outcomes. That's their results in assessments, effectively.
04:56And lastly, we want to make sure that the college is able to introduce this from a technological
05:03basis. Are we ready for thousands of students, effectively thousands of students to be using
05:09AI, being online at the same time? So three big goals. And the project's going to run
05:13from next week, effectively, right the way through to the Easter break.
05:17So I understand you're doing it for the sort of well-being you mentioned right at the start
05:20there of the teachers. What exactly does that look like in practice? What is the AI doing?
05:25Is it marking work, homework, papers? And what if that AI, what if the robots get the marks wrong?
05:33Yeah, there's about 1,000 questions in those two questions. So within the kind of AI world
05:40in education, we always talk about AI doing the heavy lifting. So effectively, just freeing up
05:47some teacher time. As a teacher, and any teachers listening to this will recognize this statement,
05:52our Sunday afternoons or Sundays are just taken up with planning our coursework, our lessons for
05:59the following day, for the following week. And the idea behind the project, really, or the trial
06:03is to see whether we can save some teacher time. If teachers have got more time within the classroom,
06:11because AI has done some of that heavy lifting, then they might be able to spend more time giving
06:16really focused feedback to the students, either in person or as a result of any written submissions.
06:21So this is really about saving that one thing that we have no control over, effectively, time.
06:27And how much of a risk is this, though? What if it does go wrong?
06:33Yes, that's a question I get asked frequently. So I think the thing to take away is that AI is not
06:41an expert, okay? So you're not asking AI to do your job for you, you're using it as a co-pilot
06:47to assist you in your job. So we talk about doing the heavy lifting, the fact is the teacher is the
06:52expert in the room. So they would need to check the output. So carefully craft prompts that go in,
07:00so that the thing that you're asking the chatbot or the AI to do is being properly considered. So
07:06you've been really specific about what you want, and you have that specificity because you're the
07:10expert. And then when you get the artifact, the output from AI, knowing what good looks like.
07:16So this is not a case of just asking a question, taking its response and giving that to your
07:22students. This is effectively every teacher having a teaching assistant online for them.
07:30That was Jack Webb from Mid Kent College talking to me earlier about the advancement of AI in
07:35school. Certainly an interesting conversation to have. Now, a probe into a devastating fire
07:40at a historic Kent business was shelved due to the severity of the destruction,
07:44a Kent Messenger Freedom of Information request has revealed. These pictures from Kent Fire and
07:50Rescue Service show the aftermath of damage caused by a fire at the Kay Laundry back in July,
07:55where firefighters spent 31 hours tackling the fire at the nearly 100-year-old business
08:00in Ramsgate. The damage being so great, no cause could be identified, with the report stating the
08:05entire site was 100 per cent damaged by fire, though there was no evidence to suggest third-party
08:11involvement. Now, hundreds behind the wheel in Kent were arrested over the Christmas period as
08:17part of a crackdown on drink and drug driving. Police say some of those they pulled over could
08:22barely stand, while others had no idea they were even over the limit. Our reporter Oliver Leeder
08:28de Sacks has been finding out more about just a few of those arrested during December.
08:33How much have you had to drink, mate?
08:36It's nought-nought, 51. You're under arrest over the prescribed limit of alcohol and whilst
08:41unfit through alcohol, all right? So you do not have to say anything. It may harm your defence.
08:44Do not mention or question something at your later line of court. Anything you do,
08:46someone will give you an evidence, OK? While it might be a dry January for many of us,
08:51for those arrested by Kent police over the festive period for drink and drug driving,
08:57like this Gillingham driver, the new year could be a little more sobering than usual.
09:04Between the 1st of December and the 1st of January, 316 motorists in the county were arrested
09:12as part of a month-long enforcement operation, including one on Headcorn High Street,
09:19who went to buy more alcohol after crashing on New Year's Eve.
09:23Time is currently three minutes past one. Currently under arrest, driving whilst unfit
09:28through drink. In a second, we'll be doing a breath test procedure to see how much you've
09:33had to drink. What's this? What's this? You've been arrested.
09:38It's Eddie. Right, what I'm going to do, stay there for a sec. No, no, drop it. Put it down
09:45there. Drink and drug driving are considered some of the main fatal factors that put you at risk
09:51behind the wheel, impacting your reaction times and ability to judge speed and distance.
09:59Like I say, your pupils are massive. You're swerving all around. You're slurring your words.
10:03You've just sprayed a load of aftershave. Yeah, I know.
10:06Is that a tired alcohol or weed? Time is, OK, 22.54 and you're under arrest for driving whilst
10:12unfit through drugs, OK, and possession of Class B.
10:16It's also a life-changing crime, carrying the risk of a criminal record, a maximum penalty
10:23of six months in prison, an unlimited fine and an automatic driving ban of at least one year.
10:30Kent police say that tackling drink and drug driving is not just for Christmas.
10:36It's a year-round commitment. And while the people arrested in the body cam footage
10:42have been bailed pending inquiries, the message is clear.
10:47Know your limits before it's too late. Oliver, leader of the SACs for KMTV.
10:55Oliver joins me in the studio now. You mentioned in your report there that
10:59drink and drug driving can cause and does cause a lot of fatalities.
11:03Yes, according to the latest data, it's around 17 percent of all fatalities on the road are
11:09caused by drink driving. Those drivers who are over the limit, it involves those people.
11:14And that is quite alarming. That means around 320 people a year are dying in these alcohol-related
11:22road incidents. I think in 2022, there's around 6,800 people who are either injured or killed
11:30in these incidents. That's our latest data we have on this. So it is a significant issue
11:33here in the UK and Kent. And as Kent police said something, they're not only looking out
11:37for over the festive period, although they do catch a lot more people on the road trying their
11:42luck. Oliver, thank you for those details. We'll be back after this very short break
11:45with more news from across Kent. See you then.
15:07Hello and welcome back to Kent Tonight live on KMTV. Now, University of Kent student Melvin
15:12Edwards was awarded a scholarship to study mechanical engineering after a customer at his
15:17father's repair shop spotted his skills. But the ambitious international student lost it all when
15:23he got sepsis. Now he needs to fund a whole extra year of tuition fees himself to complete his
15:29degree. Senior Nakfi has been speaking with him. Melvin Edwards is the final year engineering
15:35student from the University of Kent that needs your help. Working in his dad's auto shop in
15:39Grenada inspired him to become a mechanical engineer. So when the opportunity to study
15:44abroad free of charge popped up, it was a no brainer. One day, a customer who happened to
15:50be in charge of the university's admissions offered him a scholarship. But in Melvin's second
15:54year, he fell severely ill and developed life threatening sepsis whilst his relationship
15:59crumbled. I caught a cold, a little virus. It festered and turned into sepsis in my throat,
16:07passed out on my bed at home. By the time they called the ambulance, I was already passed out.
16:13They said, you could have died. You actually could have died tonight. His scholarship funding does
16:19not account for his changes in personal circumstances. He is now in the middle of
16:23repeating his final year while holding down two jobs and living in a friend's spare room.
16:28It was also at this time that his mum had a cancer scare back in Grenada. I'm not from a rich family,
16:34so I'll try, and it's my mum, so I'll try to help my mum as how I could. So I was sacrificing a bit
16:39of what I had for myself for my mum. Things got so bad for him mentally that he almost took his
16:44own life after a long battle with depression. I was stressed. I was depressed. I had anxiety.
16:51Melvin is now desperate to raise enough money to complete his studies.
16:55He's raised enough for his first instalment, but still has two left to go.
16:58Melvin needs a total of £9,000 to pay off his second instalment by the 13th of January.
17:05My biggest concern is getting this close to finishing uni, to graduating and all. I am
17:10very enthusiastic and interested in uni of energy. That is what I want to get into after I graduate.
17:18The University of Kent said, we encourage any student who is experiencing financial hardship
17:23to get in touch with us as soon as possible to discuss how we can support them. We have a range
17:28of emergency support options and packages available to students experiencing financial difficulties.
17:34Kent Union Student Advice Service also offers free, impartial and confidential advice and
17:40guidance. His future is in your hands. Xenia Nakvi for CAME TV in Canterbury.
17:47And of course, any students that are needing support, Student Union and the University of Kent
17:51are there with many services. Now next this evening, Swanley Rugby Club says the moving
17:56of rugby giant wasps into the town and the building of a new stadium won't solve many
18:01of the financial problems grassroots clubs are facing. The club hopes that with the former
18:05premiership signed, building a new fan base here in the county, that more people will be urged to
18:10take an interest in the sport. Well ahead of a brand new episode of Invicta Sport this evening,
18:14the producer Bartholomew Hall joins me now. You've got more on the wasps on Invicta this evening.
18:20Yeah, that's right. After the break, we've got our full weekly sports programme here on CAME TV.
18:25We'll be talking about the wasps. There's been a lot of excitement in the local rugby scene
18:30ever since wasps announced that not only would they be coming back to rugby and trying to get
18:33back into the premiership after, obviously, those few years of financial troubles, but they would
18:38also be bringing the club to Kent and building a brand new stadium. They say they now have acquired
18:43land to build near Swanley. So some of the local clubs have been talking about it as well, and
18:48they've been saying it's more of a blessing, a bit of a blessing and a curse. And obviously,
18:54Emily has been talking to one of those clubs, which is Swanley Rugby Club, who say that as
18:59much as they're excited to have more fans, more rugby fans in the area, that it won't directly
19:04impact some of the financial issues that they are grippling with at the moment.
19:08When wasps announced their plans to relocate to Swanley, the question was,
19:12why have they picked an area not particularly known for rugby?
19:16We've had to, the club's disappeared. It's trying to come back, try to come back in the
19:22championship. But I think we've realised over time we need to find a home for this amazing brand.
19:29Seven Oaks have been very welcome to us and Kent. So we just felt this was the best place. It's got
19:36a great rugby heritage down there. There's a lot of clubs, a lot of fans, and there's not a club
19:41anywhere near. So we just feel it's a great opportunity for us. But moving to a different
19:46county won't immediately fix the financial issues that are blighting the entire sport.
19:51If the RFU really wants to take grassroots rugby seriously and making sure that there's a community
19:56of people willing to play the sport, willing to engage and watch the sport,
19:59I think it needs to embrace modernity, look at other sports that are doing a really good
20:03job of attracting new young people into the sport, and being willing to spend money,
20:09which they are to be fair, in supporting clubs like Swanley, so that ultimately we don't have
20:14to play on recreational council ground in front of one floodlight.
20:20Success for wasps will rest somewhat on buy-in from their new fan base.
20:24What impact could wasps have on the rugby community here?
20:27The more rugby is talked about in a local area, the better I think it would be for all local clubs.
20:34People may not really know much about rugby because it's obviously a big football area.
20:39So if people are talking about rugby and understand rugby, then in turn I think they
20:44could be interested in playing it at a youth level and an adult level.
20:48I would hope, although you can never guarantee, that our membership would soar because of it.
20:54Because of the fact that we've got a premiership rugby team in Swanley.
20:59Plans for the new stadium are still in the early stages, and Severn Oaks District Council
21:04say that there will be opportunities this year for residents to have their say on the proposals.
21:09But these rugby fans at least seem excited about a new look wasps.
21:13Emily Riley-O'Donnell for KMTV.
21:16So Emily Riley-O'Donnell reporting for us there in Swanley.
21:20After the break we'll have plenty more on Invicta as well, including all the latest
21:23football. We'll be looking over the football from the weekend.
21:26There was a fair few matches that were cancelled, postponed at the weekend,
21:29because of that chill that seems to be continuing.
21:32And a key one we were really waiting for, to see how the Gilles did with their brand new manager.
21:36Yeah, exactly. John Coleman was going to be taking the helm for the first time,
21:39didn't get his chance to do that.
21:40But with the January weather, we also get the January transfer rumours.
21:44I'll be back on the sofa here to talk about some of those moves happening with Gillingham.
21:47And plenty more, including athletics as well.
21:49Bartholomew, thank you. And a cameo from Gabriel, who's skiing
21:53right now in lovely cold weather.
21:55The only cold weather that's acceptable this time of year. Bartholomew, thank you.
21:59Well, now let's take a look at our weather.
22:00See if it's as snowy as it is for Gabriel in Bulgaria.
22:03I don't think so, but let's have a look.
22:10Tonight's going to be partly cloudy with Dover and Dartford reaching highs of three degrees.
22:14Ashford sitting with the lowest temperature of zero overnight.
22:17Tomorrow morning, wind speeds of eight miles per hour,
22:20with much of the same weather to be expected.
22:22Some sunshine through the clouds, though.
22:24Into the afternoon, the sunshine going away, unfortunately,
22:27but warming up to highs of eight in most parts, seven down in Ashford there.
22:30And here's the outlook for the next few days.
22:32Some mist on Wednesday.
22:34Cloudy weather right up until Friday.
22:36Lows of six degrees.
22:38Well, he's soaring above the rest and taking education to new heights.
22:42Medway's very own astronaut is on a solo mission
22:45to make space accessible to all children at Kent schools.
22:48James Jefferson takes his space talk to hundreds of pupils every year.
22:52He's hoping more young people feel inspired to aim as high as the sky
22:57and shoot for the stars.
23:00And here's a look at the weather for the next few days.
23:03Did you know that Kent has its very own astronaut?
23:07Meet James Jefferson, the Medway spaceman,
23:10who's on a mission to inspire the children of Kent
23:13about the wonders of space, one lesson at a time.
23:16Outside of his day job, James visits schools across the county
23:20to teach children about space in an accessible way.
23:23Last year, he visited 43 schools,
23:25and this year, he says he plans to visit even more.
23:29What inspires me is really seeing the children's faces.
23:32When they, when I walk in in my space suit, they absolutely love it.
23:36For me, what I get out of it is when they come to me afterwards,
23:41asking me space questions, saying,
23:44oh, whereabouts can I find out more about space?
23:46So really, it's inspiring the next generation, yeah.
23:49In a sector that's predominantly male,
23:52James has made inclusivity key to his work,
23:55but that's something that James is keen to change.
23:58One of the things that I really, really love doing
24:01is that I ask for someone to come out, normally a girl,
24:06and I sort of say to her, you know, the whole world's watching you,
24:10what's going to be your first words to inspire women?
24:13And she'll say, oh, I'm going to say,
24:15I'm going to say, I'm going to say,
24:17I'm going to say, I'm going to say,
24:19I'm going to say, I'm going to say,
24:21I'm going to say, I'm going to say,
24:23to inspire women in space.
24:25So I kind of like put someone on the spot.
24:28One of the things about space is for everybody, you know,
24:31it's for, that's what one of the main mantras of space is,
24:34space is for all.
24:35I've had a few children that kind of like come up to me
24:38and their parents have sort of like said to me
24:40that you've really like brought something out in them,
24:42whereas they've never been interested in something before.
24:45And they've gone home and said, I want to know more about space,
24:48I want to know more about what James was talking about.
24:51One of the children who's been impacted by James's work
24:54is nine-year-old Seth, who has autism and ADHD.
24:58It was really nice to see because,
25:00especially because it's a learning activity.
25:02So it's learning and Seth really struggled with that at school
25:09and to get focused on activities and to really get into things.
25:14And so to see him doing it off his own back,
25:17was just, it was lovely to see.
25:19And I think it made going into school much easier
25:24because there was things he could be proud of that he'd done,
25:26even if he'd just done them at home, he could take them into school.
25:29It was, yeah, it's been lovely.
25:31As James shows, you don't really need a rocket to reach for the stars,
25:35just passion, a white spacesuit and a willingness to show kids
25:39that space is a lot more exciting than homework.
25:44Going forward, James hopes to inspire even more kids around Kent
25:47to get involved with space.
25:49And I've got to say he's inspired me.
25:52Pretty out of this world report from Michael there.
25:55That's all we've got time for this evening on Kent Tonight,
25:58live here on KMTV.
25:59There's, of course, more news made just for Kent
26:01throughout the evening,
26:02starting with Invicta Sports straight after this break.
26:05Don't forget, you can always keep up to date
26:06with the latest news across your county
26:08by logging onto our website, kmtv.co.uk
26:11and you can keep us on your social timelines
26:13by liking us on Facebook and by following us over on TikTok.
26:17And of course, if you have a story you think we should be covering,
26:19then please do get in touch.
26:21Over on our website, we have a series of all our special programmes too.
26:24But that's all from me and the Kent Tonight team this evening.
26:26I'll see you in just a few minutes time
26:28for a brand new episode of Invicta Sport.
26:47you